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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23835070">love is blindness, i don't want to see</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgrey/pseuds/oceansgrey'>oceansgrey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunter X Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Assassination Attempt(s), Blood and Gore, Eye Trauma, F/M, Getting Together, Marriage Proposal, Meteor City | Ryuuseigai (Hunter X Hunter), Nen (Hunter X Hunter), Original Character(s), Poison, really minute and not terribly important</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:07:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,049</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23835070</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgrey/pseuds/oceansgrey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Illumi remembered her telling the story with a softness in her tone about how she was one of the best assassins in Meteor City, and when she was tasked to kill his father, he had reacted so swiftly that she had immediately fallen in love despite the fact that he had blinded her in defense. His father usually grumbled about how he married her because she was the only one who had successfully managed to sneak up on him, and he was immensely impressed. <i></i></i><br/>Or, how Kikyo and Silva met.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kikyou Zoldyck/Silva Zoldyck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>love is blindness, i don't want to see</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey-o, this was super rushed and done in two days, and I had to finish it if I even wanted to think about working on my other wips.</p><p>This originally just started out as a headcanon as to why Kikyo has her visor/how she met Silva when she's a Meteor City native and it kind of spiraled. </p><p>(title is taken from the Jack White song, 'Love is Blindness' and the summary is from my hisoillu sick fic lol)<br/>Enjoy!</p><p>Forewarning!!!! there is eye injury so if that skeeves you out like how it does me feel free to skip that part.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wine with the berries was festering beautifully, the deep violet color of the liquid letting her know it was nearly ready. Vials laid beside the glass canter, ready to store the lethal mixture of hemlock and belladonna that had become a vital piece of her arsenal. The mortar and pestle at her right side held fine snakeroot, a measuring spoon carefully cutting the correct amount needed for the ingestible poison she was working on.</p><p>“Kikyo?”</p><p>She didn’t hear the quiet call of her name, carefully dumping the snakeroot into the sleek metal tube of paralytic venom she had purchased with the bulk of her last commission. Next, she measured out a gram of Strychnine, the last ingredient she needed-</p><p>“Kikyo?”</p><p>Her hand startled, the crystalline powder spilling from the scoop, the exact amount needed now the incorrect dosage.</p><p>“I told you not to interrupt me!” Kikyo screamed, slamming her hands down flat onto her shoddy workbench. “I’m working!”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” her only friend, Chie, apologized, big grey eyes full of worry. “You got another summon from your boss,”</p><p>Kikyo exhaled through her nose deeply, clenching her fists and feeling the way her nails dragged against the wood. She was so close, her plants laid out in proper order, and the poison she was working on was near completion. Now, because she had been interrupted, there was finely ground belladonna powder scattered on the table, and she would have to clean it up before going to get another job assignment.</p><p>“I thought I told you to keep him out of my workshop,” Kikyo dropped the venom from her voice, eyes fixed on her dear friend’s child. He was resting his head on his mother’s shoulder, eyes wide as he looked about at the assorted jars of toxins and poisonous plants potted and growing on her shelves.</p><p>“I know. I was about to put him down for a nap, but I was told it was urgent,” Chie apologized, a hand coming up to brush the strands of black hair away from her son’s forehead. “Apparently, it’s a big one. One of the elders put out the hit,”</p><p>Kikyo’s eyes widened, knowing that the elders preferred to keep their hands off any issues happening in Meteor City, desiring to sit around and bicker at one another rather than run their city. If it was serious enough that one of the elders was commissioning her, she knew it had to be serious.</p><p>“Alright. I’m going,” Kikyo untied her work apron, setting it over the now failed powder. “Don’t touch anything,”</p><p> </p><p>“Your target is a member of the Zoldyck family,”</p><p>This was it, Kikyo thought. This was how she died.</p><p>The elders must have been upset with her over something if they were telling her to go try to take on a member of <em>the</em> Zoldyck family, the famous name holding weight as the best assassins in the world, the elite. They were the best of the best, and while she didn’t doubt her skill and ability to kill people either mercifully or miserably, she knew she was absolutely no match for a Zoldyck.</p><p>“The next heir is coming to come take some civilians for their butler program,” the highest elder, said. She slid over a picture, Kikyo’s eyes transfixed on the dust mask on her face rather than who her executioner would be. “I’ve sent a few messengers, but he’s somehow managed to survive,”</p><p>Kikyo knew of the infamous messengers the elder was known for. Sun and Moon: Dual Destruction was well known throughout those who had harnessed their nen abilities in Meteor City, the elder fond of sending messages to outsiders and trespassers as a warning to keep away. Kikyo had seen a messenger explode once, as a young girl, the powerful explosion knocking her off her feet.</p><p>She was just now an adult, just a few months past the age of eighteen, but in the few years since her nen abilities had been awakened, she had climbed the ranks of assassins and nen masters to carve her own name into their strata, earning enough respect that she made a decent living, even if she did live with her friend.</p><p>Kikyo fought the urge to frown. She did care for her friend, but people were temporary. However, she would definitely miss Chie’s son, the little boy always looking up at her with curious eyes, clinging to her skirt and always eager for her to read to him. She did have a soft spot for children. Chie’s pregnancy had been both difficult and intriguing for Kikyo to watch, seeing the pain of childbirth firsthand, watching her friend’s maternal instinct kick in. Kikyo sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a mother, the thoughts usually infiltrating her mind as she helped Chie tend to her son. He seemed to like her enough, not afraid to look her in the eye and smile, small hands trying to grab for her earrings. He seemed to have a fondness for her jewelry and her botany books, the best way she could watch him simply sitting him down with a book and letting him flip through the pictures, observing the botanical diagrams. While she wanted one of her own, she wasn’t so sure if anyone would actually want to start a family with her. Most men cringed from her when she looked them in the eye, couldn’t stand her temper. Not to mention, she had yet to find a man who could match her in strength, and she wouldn’t settle to be some pathetic soul’s maid. She wanted someone strong, someone with potential for greatness.</p><p>“His name is Silva. He’s the only son of the current Zoldyck head, and he’ll be here in two days,” the elder tapped the picture, drawing her attention. “Do it or don’t bother coming back,”</p><p>“I understand,” Kikyo bowed.</p><p>“Take this,” the elder held the picture out. “We’ll reward you generously when you come back with his corpse,”</p><p> </p><p>“Silva, you have to start thinking about it,”</p><p>“I know, Dad,” Silva scowled. “I don’t like any of the ones you and Mom have paraded before me,”</p><p>“You need to find a wife and produce a child if you want to take my position,” Zeno shook his head. “I’m getting too old. You need to step into the role you were born for,”</p><p>“I will, Dad,” Silva said. “Can I get going now?”</p><p>“Have a safe trip, you insolent brat,” Zeno said fondly, giving him a wave. “You know what to check for,”</p><p>“I’ll be back in a few days,” Silva promised, shouldering his bag as he listened to the intercom announcing the next flight. He gave a wave, turning to head towards the terminal where the airship would be waiting for him.</p><p>“Think about what I said!” Zeno reiterated. “You need to start looking for a wife!”</p><p>Silva shook his head, sighing as he made his way to the gate.</p><p>He didn’t need to start thinking about marriage when he was finally at his strongest, living for the feeling of being able to destroy his enemies with ease. Work was going so well for him, taking bigger commissions and fighting stronger targets, he felt like he was unstoppable.</p><p>He didn’t want to start thinking about marriage and children, though he knew it would be what he had to do next. The thought wasn’t terrible, he thought as he sat down in his seat, of children looking like him running around the Zoldyck estate.</p><p>A big family, maybe, he sighed as he settled into the comfortable plush seat.</p><p>A big family with a beautiful wife.</p><p>He snapped himself out of his daydreaming, looking out the window at the clouds that passed.</p><p>He needed to focus on the task at hand.  </p><p>He needed to scope out more potential butlers, strong candidates that would be able to serve the family, not potential wives.</p><p> </p><p>The day she had been waiting for finally came two days after she had been given her target, just as the elders had said.</p><p>Like a spider waiting for its’ prey to fall into the web, Kikyo waited patiently, perched carefully atop a building as she watched the guide the Zoldyck heir had hired to guide him bring him through the outskirts of the city just as she had paid him to. She just had to wait for the right time to strike, knife strapped to its’ holster on her thigh. She had even brought out her old kimono, the one she cherished and had stashed away for such an event. The violet and navy colors complimented her greatly, cinched her waist just so, revealed what little breasts she had, enough that it made her look daintier than she actually was, a facsimile of the person she so desperately craved to be.</p><p>If this commission went well, she’d be able to have that.</p><p>The guide circled close by, allowing for her to come down from her perch silently. She pulled a set of poisoned senbon from the sleeve of her kimono, feeling the cool metal settle between her fingers as she waited.</p><p>“As you can see, young master, there will be plenty of potential candidates for your-” the guide began.</p><p>With a quick flick of her wrist, three senbon embedded themselves deep within the guide’s neck, two hitting the carotid, the other hitting his pressure point. He gargled as he tried to breathe, the poison acting rapidly as he dropped. She watched, cat-like, as her prey immediately put himself on alert, eyes scanning the area for where his possible assailant would be.</p><p>He immediately summoned enough nen within his hands to create a ball of energy in each hand, the sight piquing Kikyo’s interest. So he was a nen user as well, she mused, pulling herself from the shadows to reveal herself to him.</p><p>“Who are you?” he asked immediately, anger simmering in those big blue eyes.</p><p>“No one, really,” she snapped open her fan, gently fanning herself in the heat as she crept closer. “But I know who you are,”</p><p>Just a few more steps, and he would be in range for her hatsu to activate. She felt it thrum behind her eyes, a smile gracing her berry painted lips.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking at her face as she drew within six feet of him.</p><p>He made the mistake of looking into her eyes.</p><p>Her eyes were big and he felt drawn to make direct eye contact with her, those big black orbs so uniquely different than any woman he had seen before. They were almost like bottomless pits, spiraling into the abyss.</p><p>“I…can’t…” he struggled to speak, feeling every muscle in his body tense to the point of near paralysis, feet planted to the ground. He couldn’t summon up enough nen to even hit her with any energy, let alone let her feel the extent of his full power. The electric feel of his nen fizzled out at his fingertips, preventing him from striking her back.</p><p>“It’s a lovely ability, isn’t it?” she said, pulling her weapon from her sleeve. “I call it Medusa. No man’s been able to resist it, so there’s no use in trying to struggle. You’ll just get the joy of watching as I kill you, and I’ll collect my reward for killing a Zoldyck,”</p><p>She reached a hand up to cup his chin, pouting.</p><p>“Such a shame. You are quite handsome. I’d say you’re the most handsome victim I’ve ever had,” she mused. “Tragic that you have to die, but you’re dying by my hand, not my poisons, so it will be much less painful for you. I promise to make it relatively quick, dear,”</p><p>She patted his cheek, her grip on the hilt tightening. After this, she could use the prestige behind the Zoldyck family’s name to finally get herself out of this hellish dump of a city, maybe bring Chie with her, and live the lavish life she always wanted.</p><p>She closed her eyes to picture it, a life away from here.</p><p>It proved to be her biggest mistake.</p><p>Her eyes shut, and Silva felt his muscles relax, his mind racing before even comprehending that her ability was only in effect if she kept her eyes open. The flash of silver in her hand caught his eye, grabbing her wrist and twisting it to break it. She screamed in pain, the effect of her nen finally wearing off as he forcibly dislodged the weapon from her grasp. Gaze darting to the knife, now in hand, he immediately recognized it as a late-era Ben’s knife, the blade poisoned.</p><p>His would-be assassin was still reeling from her wrist being snapped, attention focused of setting it back in place.</p><p>She looked up at him as he swung his arm, his heart skipping a beat as she did so. Just in that moment, he <em>really</em> took in her face. Her face was so beautiful, pale, face clear of any blemish, a small yet sharp nose, a soft jaw, cheeks that, for some reason, he found he wanted to hold. Eyes wide, black like an endless night, pupils dilated wide from something, he wondered if it could be a drug or a toxin, possibly having something to do with her ability. He had never seen eyes like hers.</p><p>Those beautiful eyes he wanted to get lost in, he realized as the blade swiped clean across her face, her pained scream increasing in volume and pitch.</p><p>Part of him wanted to kill her, but another part wanted to get to know what type of woman she was.</p><p>She was on the ground, uselessly clutching her face and crying. She was so furious with herself for letting him get her knife, even more furious that he had cut her face. The poison stung, stung so bad as it burned through the wound.</p><p>The worst was she couldn’t see.</p><p>She could see the thick crimson blood that blurred the vision in her right eye, but the left was just pitch black nothingness. It felt as if her eye was cleaved in half, the torn skin and muscle causing her fingers to dip as she scrambled to touch her face, hissing at the pain. Her face was wet from both the blood and the tears, and she knew that this would be how she died.</p><p>Blinded from the finishing blow, unable to see how her demise truly comes.</p><p>“Not many people can sneak up on me, let alone land a hit on me,” Silva said, his voice smooth as he stood over her form. “I’m impressed,”</p><p>Kikyo couldn’t do anything but scream, unable to see. The poison was so painful, her lungs seizing with each breath, her heart slamming against her ribcage. If she didn’t act fast, she’d go into cardiac arrest, one hand plunging into the fold of her dress, digging for the vial she kept stored in a small sewn in pocket near her breast.</p><p>Blindly, she fumbled with the cap and forced it into her mouth, swallowing the bitter antidote. She felt her muscles begin to relax as the tension brought upon by the poison ebbed away, praying the harbinger of her death would just kill her swiftly so that she wouldn’t have to feel the white hot searing pain of her cut eye.</p><p>“Who sent you?” he asked, crouching over her.</p><p>She spit in his face, a mix of spit and blood hitting his cheek. He grimaced, a hand reaching out to grab her throat. Her hair had gotten loose from the top bun it had been in, ebony strands catching in his hand as he squeezed her windpipe. Her hair was so soft, he realized, so fine. As she gasped for breath, her small hand frantically clawing at his large one to try to get some reprieve to the pressure on her throat, he really took the time to look at her.</p><p>Her bone structure wasn’t bad, smaller than him but still taller than the average woman, sinewy yet lithe. If she was properly groomed, she might pass for a model, strikingly beautiful with hypnotic eyes.</p><p>He now regretted injuring them, wanting nothing more than to look into them. Perhaps it was a remnant of her hatsu, but he felt odd looking at her, like he wanted to be drawn in by her and have her at his side.</p><p>Kikyo brought a leg up and kicked as hard as she could, focusing nen into her foot. Her foot connected with his chest and sent him flying back. His back hit an abandoned vehicle, the metal crunching with the impact. It made him lose his breath for a moment. He pulled himself up, watching as his stubborn would-be assassin come to her feet, a hand on her neck. He had almost crushed her windpipe, using enough force that he knew she would be struggling to breathe for a while. On top of her incessant shrieking, she was probably in immense pain in her throat alone by the sound of her wheezing.</p><p>She was heavily injured, her face contorted in pain at the blood that still flowed freely from her optical wound. He nearly sliced to the bone, the tip of the blade grazing the bridge of her nose instead. He sighed, realizing he missed the other eye. He could practically hear his father chastising him now.</p><p>He could kill her quickly. She was no match for his brute strength alone, but that ability was quite dangerous. He wondered, now, as he looked at her damaged eye, if she needed both eyes to activate it. No, he realized. She probably never considered the possibility of losing an eye in battle, and would need both to paralyze her enemy. Even from a distance, he could see how badly he had sliced open her eye, yet she was still persisting. She had even created an antidote for the poison, which meant she was knowledgeable enough about chemical properties and could probably create poisons, too.</p><p>What an odd woman.</p><p>She hissed, much like a snake, dangerous and venomous. Furiously swiping the blood from her good eye, she glared him down, the rage in her gaze making his heart clench painfully.</p><p>He felt his body stiffen again, this time knocking him off his balance. He hit the ground hard, his theory of her ability proven correct.</p><p>She panted, chest heaving with each breath as she trudged over to him, stopping to pick up the abandoned Ben’s knife. She gripped the hilt of the knife in both hands, body shaking from the pain. She was about to pass out, either from blood loss, shock, or exhaustion, she didn’t care, she needed to end this <em>now</em>.</p><p>She swung down, the tip of the blade aimed at his throat.</p><p>“Marry me,”</p><p>She paused, the tip hovering mere millimeters from his Adam’s apple. She had been prepared to stab through, to slice and tear a mess out of his throat as payback for the pain he has caused her, but now, she was too stunned by what he had just choked out she couldn’t do it.</p><p>“Marry me, and I’ll make you a queen,” he promised. “No one’s ever bested me in combat like this before,”</p><p>Her breathing was ragged, she was covered in blood and a thin layer of sweat, shaking like a leaf in the hot desert sun. Her kimono was torn, her hair hanging loosely around her face, blood matted into the ebony silk. Her face scrunched up in pain as she breathed deeply to steady herself, to prevent herself from vomiting or passing out from the pain.</p><p>Silva reached a hand out, feeling the paralysis wear off. He reached up to cup as her cheek, the way she flinched at the tender gesture like the wounded animal she was.</p><p>He found her so beautiful, and so worthy of his affection. He had never seen anyone quite like her, and he doubted he ever would. He didn’t want her to slip from his grasp.</p><p>“Marry me, and I promise I’ll let you live,” he said, his voice sweet and genuine. It made her want to cry, to scream and curse him.</p><p>She was supposed to become great from killing him, but he was killing her with this disgusting display of kindness. Her grip on the knife was loosening, unsure about how to answer his proposal.</p><p>She straightened her legs, lowering her arms as she held the knife closer to her side. She watched him slowly get up, as if she were some feral animal, and he said something to her.</p><p>She saw his mouth move, but no words he spoke reached her ears.</p><p>Kikyo barely could see him begin to walk towards her cautiously, her good eye rolling back as she passed out.</p><p>She could have sworn she felt someone catch her, big and warm.</p><p> </p><p>“-are you and what happened to Kikyo?!”</p><p>She groaned, the throbbing pain in her head like a pounding drum as she came to. From what she felt, she was in her bed, the familiar sheets grazing her skin, but her eyes were bandaged.</p><p>“There’s no need to shout,” a familiar deep voice, soothing, said. “Don’t worry about it. I just brought her back here to collect her things,”</p><p>“Why is she hurt?”</p><p>“Chie! Shut up!” Kikyo tried to shout, feeling the strain in her vocal chords as she threw the blanket off of herself, trying to force herself out of bed.</p><p>Thick, warm hands came to circle her waist, easing her back into bed.</p><p>“Rest. You’re in no shape to move,” Silva demanded.</p><p>“Kikyo,” Chie sounded so worried, her voice off to her left. “What happened to you?”</p><p>“I failed,” Kikyo admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She heard Chie make a sympathetic sound, her only friend way too soft for the dangerous world they lived in.</p><p>“We’ll be leaving soon,” Silva said. “Can you begin to pack her things?”</p><p>“Going where?” Chie asked, and Kikyo winced as she heard the telltale sound of her beginning to tear up. “You can’t take her!”</p><p>“Chie,” Kikyo uttered. “You can sell my apothecary. You should make a decent amount for the poisons and antidotes,”</p><p>She heard a sniffle, and felt a thinner pair of arms circle her shoulders, squeezing her tightly. Chie buried her head into the crook of her neck, her hands rubbing soothing circles into the sore muscles of Kikyo’s back.</p><p>“I’ll miss you, dear friend,” Chie admitted through her cries.</p><p>“I’ll…” Kikyo held her back, trying not to grunt in pain once Chie squeezed her tightly. “I’ll try to come visit, if I can,”</p><p>“Chrollo will miss you,” Chie snuffled, pulling herself from their embrace to wipe at her eyes. “You’ve always been like my sister, Kikyo,”</p><p>Kikyo felt a pair of lips pressed to the crown of her forehead before the mattress dipped from Chie getting up, her heart aching as she heard her friend leave her side.</p><p>“We’ll leave tomorrow,” Silva said, drawing her attention. “When we get back, we can wait until you’re healed before we get married, if you want,”</p><p>Kikyo felt herself nod before laying back down, wishing her eyes didn’t hurt so much so that she could cry to her heart’s content.</p><p> </p><p>Leaving home had been so painful, despite it being her dream.</p><p>The air smelled so clean on Kukuroo Mountain, so vastly different from the choking feeling of the heavy, dirty air of Meteor City. Silva had kept to his promise, their first stop in Padokea to the hospital for her first surgery, the damage extensive. She remembered coming in and out of consciousness, vaguely remembering hearing the doctor prattle on to Silva, his occasional humming the only thing she heard.</p><p>Her fiancé, as strange as it was to call him that, wasn’t terrible. He held her hand in his as they walked around the hospital during the week she was there to recover, describing the local flowers for her as she guessed what they may be. He tried to be as detailed as possible, trying his best to be her eyes. He sometimes awkwardly stumbled over his descriptions, and she would laugh, and it made her heart feel strange as he chuckled lowly.</p><p>She learned a lot about Silva throughout that week. She learned he was four years older than she was, had been raised to take over the family business and had been an assassin since he was a child. Besides things like his skill set and basic personal history, she learned he was fond of the color blue, had a soft spot for the pup he had saved a few weeks ago. She laughed when he told her about how Mike, barely three months old, had tackled him and stuck to his side like glue, and now he had a loyal hunting dog in training. She quickly learned that she liked listening to him speak, drawn in to his stories and his deep voice. He must have been warming up to her, as well, since she once woke with him resting his head on the hospital bed beside her thigh, and he had let her run her hands through his hair, just as soft and fluffy as she had imagined, letting out an appreciative hum as she massaged his scalp.</p><p>The week had all but flown by, and she suddenly found herself being blindly led to where she would be living the rest of her life, and it didn’t feel as terrifying as she originally thought it would be.</p><p>The heavy doors all but slammed shut, Silva’s hand holding hers tightly.</p><p>“This is her?” an old voice asked, and Kikyo turned her head in the direction of the sound.</p><p>“Yes, Dad,” Silva said, and she could swear she could hear a hint of nervousness in his voice. “I’d like your blessing to get married as soon as possible,”</p><p>“Hmph,” her future father-in-law sighed. “Do what you want,”</p><p>“Thank you, Dad,”</p><p>She felt Silva drop her hand, another set of hands coming to take hers, much older.</p><p>“Feel free to call me ‘Dad,’ Kikyo,” Zeno said warmly. “Please, let any of the butlers know if you need anything. Welcome to the Zoldyck family,”</p><p> </p><p>Silva is gentle their wedding night, pressing a soft kiss to the pink scar tissue of her wounds.</p><p>“You’re so beautiful,” he admits, a hand cupping her cheek. “My beautiful wife,”</p><p>Kikyo feels so happy she could cry, letting her husband press his lips to hers gently, as if she were made of porcelain and might break at the slightest bit of pressure.</p><p>He doesn’t rush her, instead opting to hold her, collecting her in his arms. She knows what is to be expected of her now, as a wife, as the new matriarch of the Zoldyck family, but she lets out a shaky breath, feels his hand warm on the middle of her back, and she realizes it will all be okay.</p><p>She initiates the kiss, this time, feeling the hint of a smile under her lips.  </p><p>She could get used to this.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you thinking about?”</p><p>Kikyo startled, pulled from her thoughts. She blinked, once, twice, looking up at Silva. Her eye had healed up quite well, between two surgeries and a top-ranked enhancer, the left eye blurry and leaky, sometimes with blood, but she could still make out the blurry silhouette of her husband.</p><p>“Just thinking of when we first met,” she gave him a warm smile, one she only reserved for him.</p><p>He wordlessly sat down beside her, placing an arm around her waist. She leaned onto him, letting her head rest on his shoulder.</p><p>“He’s finally asleep,” she said softly, her maternal instinct making her tighten her hold on her swaddled son.</p><p>“He’s quite the easy baby,” Silva admitted. “Dad said it was going to be a lot harder than it actually has turned out to be,”</p><p>Kikyo didn’t respond, instead looking down at her precious boy. Illumi was so cute, so small, she just felt so happy to be a mother. He looked so much like her, relieved that she had a piece of her and Silva that was more her. She felt more at home, now, behind the walls of the Zoldyck mansion, with Illumi in her arms.</p><p>Part of her heart did somewhat miss home, in Meteor City, but she knew that it was her destiny to be here, to be a mother, to add onto the Zoldyck legacy by stamping her name as the matriarch, the devoted mother. She knew what would become of any children of hers as a member of the Zoldyck family, and as difficult it had been to accept it, she had.</p><p>For now, she wanted to give Illumi all her attention. With how much she knew she loved him and being a mother, she knew she wanted more children eventually. Maybe once he was a bit older, so he could look after his siblings.</p><p>“Is it really alright for him to be out here?” Silva asked, looking around at the various plants in Kikyo’s designated area of the garden, his eye drawn to the hemlock plants sprouting up next to the bellflowers at her side.</p><p>“None of these plants are poisonous unless he ingests them,” she assured him. “Besides, he’s my son, and-”</p><p>“<em>Our</em> son,”</p><p>“Yes, our son. We’ll work on building his tolerance when he’s a little older and can eat solid food,” she reached up to wipe at her left eye. “He actually might be getting some from breastfeeding, but I had to lower my doses,”</p><p>“Of course, dear,” he pressed a small kiss to her temple. “To make him stronger,”</p><p>They both looked down at their sleeping baby, letting the calm night envelop them as they enjoyed one another’s presence. It had been rushed, but Kikyo would admit she did truly, with all her heart, love her husband and the family they were beginning to create. Silva would deny saying such sappy things, but as he trailed a hand down her side, letting it fall to her waist and held her close as she cooed to their child, her corrective visor off to her side, he knew he loved her, too.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I included (very briefly) that Kikyo knew Chrollo's mother based on <a href="https://twitter.com/SailerShanty/status/1004549566232920065"> this twitter post</a> because it's a bit of a hc of mine, too, but I didn't want it to be super focused on in the story. I had to come up with something for Kikyo's nen ability, and since she's a manipulator, I was originally going to give her something similar to Illumi's needles, but I decided the hypnotic/paralytic eyes were a lot more suited for her. I named it after Medusa because I'm a slut for Greek mythology.</p><p>Thank you for reading! Please, feel free to comment/let me know what you think! It's always appreciated! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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